UA Improves Overall Score in Best Global Universities List

The 2017 list from U.S. News & World Report highlights academic research and reputation among 1,000 universities and ranks the UA's space science program No. 7.

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The University of Arizona is one of the world's premier academic research institutions, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The UA ranked No. 73 out of 1,000 higher-education institutions across 65 countries in the 2017 Best Global Universities ranking, released Tuesday.

"I am very proud that the University of Arizona has been named in the top 7 percent of 1,000 schools in 65 countries by the Best Global Universities rankings," said UA President Ann Weaver Hart. "The UA's rank in this list is an important recognition of its global and regional research reputation, publications and citations, and international collaboration. These areas all reflect the commitment to excellence at the root of the University's position as a global leader."

The UA's highest ranking came with its space science program at No. 7, boosted by top-10 finishes in space science global research reputation and publications. The UA trailed only the California Institute of Technology; Harvard University; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Santa Cruz; Princeton University; and the University of Cambridge. UA researchers currently serve leadership roles in the groundbreaking OSIRIS-REx mission to retrieve and analyze particles from an asteroid.

The University's global score saw an increase partly because of its placement in books published (59), highly cited papers (77), internal collaboration (87), global research reputation (95) and publications (96).

The UA also placed in the top 100 for its programs in plant and animal sciences (25), arts and humanities (33), geosciences (34), environment and ecology (40), social sciences and public health (71), psychiatry/psychology (72), economics and business (91), and neuroscience and behavior (100).

The third annual Best Global Universities ranking is produced in order to provide insight into how research institutions compare throughout the world. The rankings focus specifically on schools' academic research and reputation overall.

U.S. News & World Report weighs factors that measure a university's global and regional research reputation and academic research performance using indicators such as publications, citations and international collaboration. This year's list further emphasized excellence in academic research by factoring in the total number of highly cited papers in the top 1 percent of their respective fields.

The UA finished 67th in last year's list, but saw its overall score increase from 69.8 to 72.7. U.S. News & World Report added 250 schools to its 2017 rankings.

In September, U.S. News & World Report ranked the UA No. 60 among U.S. public universities in its Best Colleges 2017 edition.